Glenn Greenwald | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/glenn-greenwald
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Glenn Greenwald: how the NSA tampers with US-made internet routershttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/12/glenn-greenwald-nsa-tampers-us-internet-routers-snowden
The NSA has been covertly implanting interception tools in US servers heading overseas – even though the US government has warned against using Chinese technology for the same reasons, says Glenn Greenwald, in an extract from his new book about the Snowden affair, No Place to Hide<br /><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/11/glenn-greenwald-nsa-whistleblower-edward-snowden-book" title="">The explosive day we revealed Edward Snowden's identity</a><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/13/glenn-greenwald-anonymous-mass-surveillance-governments-nasa-no-place-to-hide">The state targets dissenters not just 'bad guys'</a><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/12/glenn-greenwald-uk-arrest-me-edward-snowden-nsa" title="">Glenn Greenwald: 'I don't trust the UK not to arrest me'</a><p>For years, the US government loudly warned the world that Chinese routers and other internet devices pose a &quot;threat&quot; because they are built with backdoor surveillance functionality that gives the Chinese government the ability to spy on anyone using them. Yet what the NSA's documents show is that Americans have been engaged in&nbsp;precisely the activity that the US accused the Chinese of doing.</p><p>The drumbeat of American accusations against Chinese internet device manufacturers was unrelenting. In 2012, for example,<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/oct/08/china-huawei-zte-security-threat" title=""> a report from the House Intelligence Committee</a>, headed by Mike Rogers, claimed that Huawei and ZTE, the top two Chinese telecommunications equipment companies, &quot;may be violating United States laws&quot; and have &quot;not followed United States legal obligations or international standards of business behaviour&quot;. The committee recommended that &quot;the United States should view with suspicion the continued penetration of&nbsp;the US telecommunications market&nbsp;by Chinese telecommunications companies&quot;.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/12/glenn-greenwald-nsa-tampers-us-internet-routers-snowden">Continue reading...</a>NSANo Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA and the US Surveillance StateUS newsUS national securityWorld newsThe NSA filesData protectionInternetTechnologyChinaAsia PacificMon, 12 May 2014 21:39:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/12/glenn-greenwald-nsa-tampers-us-internet-routers-snowdenMCT via Getty ImagesA Huawei employee in Shenzhen, China, in 2005. The US has repeatedly claimed that its communications technology could be compromised. Photograph: MCT via Getty ImagesMCT via Getty ImagesA Huawei employee in Shenzhen, China, in 2005. The US has repeatedly claimed that its communications technology could be compromised. Photograph: MCT via Getty ImagesGlenn Greenwald2014-05-12T21:39:00ZObama's NSA 'reforms' are little more than a PR attempt to mollify the public | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/17/obama-nsa-reforms-bulk-surveillance-remains
Obama is draping the banner of change over the NSA status quo. Bulk surveillance that caused such outrage will remain in place<p>In response to political scandal and public outrage, official Washington repeatedly uses the same well-worn tactic. It is the one that has been hauled out over decades in response to many of America's most significant political scandals. Predictably, it is the same one that shaped President Obama's much-heralded <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/17/obama-speech-nsa-surveillance-reforms-full-text">Friday speech</a> to announce his proposals for &quot;reforming&quot; the National Security Agency in the wake of seven months of intense worldwide controversy.</p><p>The crux of this tactic is that US political leaders pretend to validate and even channel public anger by acknowledging that there are &quot;serious questions that have been raised&quot;. They vow changes to fix the system and ensure these problems never happen again. And they then set out, with their actions, to do exactly the opposite: to make the system prettier and more politically palatable with empty, cosmetic &quot;reforms&quot; so as to placate public anger while leaving the system fundamentally unchanged, even more immune than before to serious challenge.</p><p>The president should end – not mend – the government's collection and retention of all law-abiding Americans' data. When the government collects and stores every American's phone call data, it is engaging in a textbook example of an 'unreasonable search' that violates the constitution.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/17/obama-nsa-reforms-bulk-surveillance-remains">Continue reading...</a>NSABarack ObamaUS newsWorld newsSurveillanceUS constitution and civil libertiesFri, 17 Jan 2014 19:23:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/17/obama-nsa-reforms-bulk-surveillance-remainsKEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERSBarack Obama speaks about the National Security Agency on 17 January 2014 from the Justice Department in Washington. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/ReutersSHAWN THEW/EPABarack Obama delivers remarks on NSA reform at the Department of Justice in Washington. Photograph: Shawn Thew/EPAGlenn Greenwald2014-01-17T19:23:00ZOn leaving the Guardian | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/31/glenn-greenwald-leaving-guardian
Reporting the NSA story hasn't been easy, but it's always been fulfilling. It's what journalism at its crux is about, and we must protect that<p>As many of you know, I'm leaving the Guardian in order to work with Pierre Omidyar, Laura Poitras, Jeremy Scahill and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2013/10/29/omidyar-venture-adds-froomkin-segura/">soon-to-be-identified others</a> on building a new media organization. As I said when this<br />news was <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/exclusive-glenn-greenwald-will-leave-guardian-to-create-new">reported a couple of weeks ago</a>, leaving the Guardian was not an easy choice, but this was a dream opportunity that was impossible to decline.</p><p>We do not yet have an exact launch date for the new outlet, but rest assured: I'm not going to disappear for months or anything like that. The new site will be up and running reasonably soon.</p><p>British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday his government was likely to act to stop newspapers publishing what he called damaging leaks from former US intelligence operative Edward Snowden unless they began to behave more responsibly.</p><p>&quot;If they (newspapers) don't demonstrate some social responsibility it will be very difficult for government to stand back and not to act,&quot; Cameron told parliament, saying Britain's Guardian newspaper had &quot;gone on&quot; to print damaging material after initially agreeing to destroy other sensitive data.</p><p>Our first object should therefore be, to leave open to him all the avenues to truth. The most effectual hitherto found, is the freedom of the press. It is, therefore, the first shut up by those who fear the investigation of their actions.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/31/glenn-greenwald-leaving-guardian">Continue reading...</a>NSAMediaInternetCivil liberties - internationalThu, 31 Oct 2013 15:15:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/31/glenn-greenwald-leaving-guardianPAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty ImagesA computer workstation showing the National Security Agency (NSA) logo inside the Threat Operations Center in the Washington suburb of Fort Meade, Maryland. Photograph: Paul J Richards/AFP/Getty ImagesClynt Garnham Publishing/AlamyA woman reading a copy of The Guardian. Photograph: Clynt Garnham Publishing/AlamyGlenn Greenwald2013-10-31T15:15:00ZAs Europe erupts over US spying, NSA chief says government must stop media | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/25/europe-erupts-nsa-spying-chief-government
With General Alexander calling for NSA reporting to be halted, US and UK credibility as guardians of press freedom is crushed<p>The most under-discussed aspect of the NSA story has long been its international scope. That all changed this week as both Germany and France <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/angry-european-and-german-reactions-to-merkel-us-phone-spying-scandal-a-929725.html">exploded with anger</a> over new revelations about pervasive NSA surveillance on their population and democratically elected leaders.</p><p>As was true for Brazil previously, reports about surveillance aimed at leaders are receiving most of the media attention, but what really originally drove the story there were revelations that the NSA is <a href="http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2013/10/21/france-in-the-nsa-s-crosshair-phone-networks-under-surveillance_3499741_651865.html">bulk-spying on millions and millions</a> of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/07/nsa-brazilians-globo-spying">innocent citizens</a> in <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/nsa-spies-on-500-million-german-data-connections-a-908648.html">all of those nations</a>. The favorite cry of US government apologists -–<em>everyone spies!</em>&nbsp;– falls impotent in the face of this sort of ubiquitous, suspicionless spying that is the sole province of the US and its four English-speaking surveillance allies (the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand).</p><p>The head of the embattled National Security Agency, Gen Keith Alexander, is accusing journalists of &quot;selling&quot; his agency's documents and is calling for an end to the steady stream of public disclosures of secrets snatched by former contractor Edward Snowden.</p><p>&quot;I think it's wrong that that newspaper reporters have all these documents, the 50,000 – whatever they have and are selling them and giving them out as if these – you know it just doesn't make sense,&quot; Alexander said in an interview with the Defense Department's &quot;Armed With Science&quot; blog.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/25/europe-erupts-nsa-spying-chief-government">Continue reading...</a>NSAUS newsSurveillancePrivacyMediaPress freedomData protectionFranceGermanyBrazilWorld newsUS foreign policyObama administrationAngela MerkelEdward SnowdenUS constitution and civil libertiesCivil liberties - internationalLawFri, 25 Oct 2013 19:22:32 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/25/europe-erupts-nsa-spying-chief-governmentEvan Vucci/APNSA Director General Keith Alexander, earlier this month. Photograph: Evan Vucci/APEvan Vucci/APNSA director Gen Keith Alexander. Photograph: Evan Vucci/APGlenn Greenwald2013-10-25T19:22:32ZThe perfect epitaph for establishment journalism | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/14/independent-epitaph-establishment-journalism
'If MI5 warns that this is not in the public interest who am I to disbelieve them?', says the former editor of The Independent<p>Like many people, I've spent years writing and speaking about the lethal power-subservient pathologies plaguing establishment journalism in the west. But this morning, I feel a bit like all of that was wasted time and energy, because <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/edward-snowdens-secrets-may-be-dangerous-i-would-not-have-published-them-8877404.html">this new column</a> by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/jul/01/independent-new-editor-chris-blackhurst-profile">career British journalist Chris Blackhurst</a> - an executive with and, until a few months ago, the editor of the UK daily calling itself &quot;The Independent&quot; - contains a headline that says everything that needs to be said about the sickly state of establishment journalism:</p><p>If the security services insist something is contrary to the public interest, and might harm their operations, who am I (despite my grounding from Watergate onwards) to disbelieve them?&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/14/independent-epitaph-establishment-journalism">Continue reading...</a>NSAMon, 14 Oct 2013 12:23:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/14/independent-epitaph-establishment-journalismAlamySome journalists view this as an inviolable decree that may not be questioned or defied Photograph: AlamyAlamyThe secret of happiness? Stamp out negative thoughts... Photograph: AlamyGlenn Greenwald2013-10-14T12:23:00ZCommittee to Protect Journalists issues scathing report on Obama administration | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/10/cpi-report-press-freedoms-obama
Obama's anti-press measures 'are the most aggressive I've seen since the Nixon administration'<p><strong>(updated below)</strong></p><p>It's hardly news that the Obama administration is intensely and, in many respects, unprecedentedly hostile toward the news-gathering process. Even the most Obama-friendly journals <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/06/obamas-whistleblowers-stuxnet-leaks-drones">have warned of what they call</a> &quot;Obama's war on whistleblowers&quot;. James Goodale, the former general counsel of the New York Times during its epic fights with the Nixon administration, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/05/21/obama-the-media-and-national-security/only-nixon-harmed-a-free-press-more">recently observed</a> that &quot;President Obama wants to criminalize the reporting of national security information&quot; and added: &quot;President Obama will surely pass President Richard Nixon as the worst president ever on issues of national security and press freedom.&quot;</p><p>Six government employees, plus two contractors including Edward Snowden, have been subjects of felony criminal prosecutions since 2009 under the 1917 Espionage Act, accused of leaking classified information to the press—compared with a total of three such prosecutions in all previous U.S. administrations. Still more criminal investigations into leaks are under way. Reporters' phone logs and e-mails were secretly subpoenaed and seized by the Justice Department in two of the investigations, and a Fox News reporter was accused in an affidavit for one of those subpoenas of being 'an aider, abettor and/or conspirator' of an indicted leak defendant, exposing him to possible prosecution for doing his job as a journalist. In another leak case, a New York Times reporter has been ordered to testify against a defendant or go to jail.&quot;</p><p><br />'I worry now about calling somebody because the contact can be found out through a check of phone records or e-mails,' said veteran national security journalist R. Jeffrey Smith of the Center for Public Integrity, an influential nonprofit government accountability news organization in Washington. 'It leaves a digital trail that makes it easier for the government to monitor those contacts,' he said.&quot;</p><p>The administration's war on leaks and other efforts to control information are the most aggressive I've seen since the Nixon administration, when I was one of the editors involved in The Washington Post's investigation of Watergate. The 30 experienced Washington journalists at a variety of news organizations whom I interviewed for this report could not remember any precedent.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/10/cpi-report-press-freedoms-obama">Continue reading...</a>Press freedomThu, 10 Oct 2013 15:07:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/10/cpi-report-press-freedoms-obamaSaul Loeb/AFP/Getty ImagesBarack Obama at the White House Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty ImagesCharles Dharapak/APBarack Obama Photograph: Charles Dharapak/APGlenn Greenwald2013-10-10T15:07:00ZBrazil: Glenn Greenwald condemns 'war against journalism' at senate - videohttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/oct/09/brazil-glenn-greenwald-war-against-journalism-senate-video
Journalist Glenn Greenwald and his partner, David Miranda, address Brazilian senate over the NSA revelations. The Guardian writer claims the US and British governments are fighting against press transparency and covering government espionage for financial gain. Miranda says his detention under a terrorism law was a ploy to intimidate the newspaper <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/oct/09/brazil-glenn-greenwald-war-against-journalism-senate-video">Continue reading...</a>NSAThe NSA filesUS national securityPrivacyBrazilUS newsWorld newsWed, 09 Oct 2013 22:03:57 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/oct/09/brazil-glenn-greenwald-war-against-journalism-senate-videoEvaristo Sa/AFP/Getty ImagesGlenn Greenwald at Brazilian senate Photograph: Evaristo Sa/AFP/Getty ImagesGlenn Greenwald2013-10-09T22:03:57ZNSA and GCHQ target Tor network that protects anonymity of web usershttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/04/nsa-gchq-attack-tor-network-encryption
• Top-secret documents detail repeated efforts to crack Tor<br />• US-funded tool relied upon by dissidents and activists<br />• Core security of network remains intact but NSA has some success attacking users' computers<br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/04/nsa-attacks-internet-bruce-schneier">Bruce Schneier: the NSA's attacks must be made public</a><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/04/tor-attacks-nsa-users-online-anonymity">Attacking Tor: the technical details</a><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/oct/04/egotistical-giraffe-nsa-tor-document">'Peeling back the layers with Egotistical Giraffe' – document</a><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/oct/04/tor-stinks-nsa-presentation-document">'Tor Stinks' presentation – full document</a><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/oct/04/tor-high-secure-internet-anonymity">Tor: 'The king of high-secure, low-latency anonymity'</a><p>The National Security Agency has made repeated attempts to develop attacks against people using Tor, a popular tool designed to protect online anonymity, despite the fact the software is primarily funded and promoted by the US government itself.</p><p>Top-secret NSA documents, disclosed by whistleblower Edward Snowden, reveal that the agency's current successes against Tor rely on identifying users and then attacking vulnerable software on their computers. One technique developed by the agency targeted the Firefox web browser used with Tor, giving the agency full control over targets' computers, including access to files, all keystrokes and all online activity.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/04/nsa-gchq-attack-tor-network-encryption">Continue reading...</a>The NSA filesNSASurveillancePrivacyData protectionUS national securityUS constitution and civil libertiesLawTechnologyWorld newsUS newsInternetComputingFri, 04 Oct 2013 14:50:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/04/nsa-gchq-attack-tor-network-encryptionFelix ClayOne technique developed by the agency targeted the Firefox web browser used with Tor, giving the agency full control over targets' computers. Photograph: Felix ClayFelix ClayNSA laptop Photograph: Felix ClayJames Ball, Bruce Schneier and Glenn Greenwald2013-10-04T14:50:07ZThe NSA debate is as much about journalism as surveillance | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/04/nsa-reporting-about-journalism
A 14-minute interview on BBC highlights the debate over the proper relationship between journalists and government<p>In late June, the economist Dean Baker <a href="https://twitter.com/DeanBaker13/status/350224531799027713">astutely observed</a> that our NSA reporting was &quot;doing as much to expose corrupt journalism as to expose government spying.&quot; Indeed, from the earliest stages of this reporting, back in Hong Kong, we expected (and hoped) that the reporting we were about to do would <a href="http://pressthink.org/2013/06/david-gregory-tries-to-read-glenn-greenwald-and-the-guardian-out-of-the-journalism-club/">expose conflicts in how journalism is understood</a> and practiced as much as it would shine light on the NSA's specific surveillance programs.</p><p>That, I think, has clearly been the case. The debates over the proper relationship between journalists and governments have been as illuminating and significant as the debates over government spying and secrecy. Last night on BBC's Newsnight, I was interviewed for 14 minutes by host Kirsty Wark. It was an adversarial interview, which is how interviews should be. But she chose to focus almost entirely on the process questions surrounding the reporting rather than the substance of the revelations, and in the process made some quite dubious claims that come straight from the mouths of government officials. Nonetheless, her choice of focus ended up highlighting many of the most important conflicts about how journalism is understood, and is worth watching for that reason:</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/04/nsa-reporting-about-journalism">Continue reading...</a>NSAC&G Trophy 2001BBCFri, 04 Oct 2013 11:48:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/04/nsa-reporting-about-journalismGlenn Greenwald2013-10-04T11:48:00ZReddit Q-and-A on NSA reporting | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/01/reddit-ask-me-anything-nsa
A 90-minute "ask me anything" feature with tech-savvy readers produces a fruitful discussion<p><strong>(updated below)<br /></strong><br />This afternoon, along with Guardian US editor-in-chief Janine Gibson, I participated in Reddit's &quot;ask me anything&quot; feature, where the highest rated questions rise to the top and the guest answers each of them. The questions focused on our NSA reporting, and were largely smart and provocative. The full discussion can be read <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1nisdy/were_glenn_greenwald_and_janine_gibson_of_the/">here</a>.</p><p><br />&quot;This is an astute point, and the credit for this is due to Snowden.</p><p>&quot;One of the most darkly hilarious things to watch is how government apologists and media servants are driven by total herd behavior: they all mindlessly adopt the same script and then just keep repeating it because they see others doing so and, like parrots, just mimic what they hear.</p><p>&quot;I never see any political questions as hopeless or unchangeable, but consider this:</p><p>&quot;When I first began writing in 2005, I was focused primarily on the Bush NSA program, and I was able to build a large readership quickly because so many Democrats, progressives, liberal bloggers, etc, were so supportive of the work I was doing. That continued to be true through 2008.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/01/reddit-ask-me-anything-nsa">Continue reading...</a>NSATue, 01 Oct 2013 18:39:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/01/reddit-ask-me-anything-nsaGlenn Greenwald2013-10-01T18:39:00ZBrian Williams' Iran propaganda | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/28/brian-williams-iran-propaganda
The NBC star tells his viewers that Iranian leaders are 'suddenly claiming they don't want nuclear weapons', even though they've been saying it for years<p>There is ample reason for skepticism that anything substantial will change in Iran-US relations, beginning with the fact that numerous US political and media figures are vested in the narrative that Iran is an evil threat whose desire for a peaceful resolution must not be trusted (and some hard-line factions in Iran are similarly vested in ongoing conflict). Whatever one's views are on the prospects for improving relations, the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/27/obama-phone-call-iranian-president-rouhani">first direct communications in more than 30 years</a> between the leaders of those two countries is a historically significant event. </p><p><a href="http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/27/20722870-obama-and-rouhani-make-history-with-phone-call-thawing-three-decade-freeze-between-us-and-iran?lite">Here is what NBC News anchor Brian Williams told his viewers</a> about this event when leading off his broadcast last night, with a particularly mocking and cynical tone used for the bolded words:</p><p>This is all part of a new leadership effort by Iran -<strong> suddenly claiming they don't want nuclear weapons! </strong>; what they want is talks and transparency and good will. And while that would be enough to define a whole new era, skepticism is high and there's a good reason for it.&quot;</p><p>&quot;<strong>Q</strong>: 'Are you saying that at some point in the future you may want to acquire a nuclear deterrent, a nuclear weapon?' </p><p>&quot;<strong>Ahmadinejad</strong>: 'Never, never. We do not want nuclear weapons. We do not seek nuclear weapons. This is an inhumane weapon. Because of our beliefs we are against that. </p><p>The Iranian nation has never pursued and will never pursue nuclear weapons. There is no doubt that the decision makers in the countries opposing us know well that Iran is not after nuclear weapons because the Islamic Republic, logically, religiously and theoretically, considers the possession of nuclear weapons a grave sin and believes the proliferation of such weapons is senseless, destructive and dangerous.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/28/brian-williams-iran-propaganda">Continue reading...</a>IranSat, 28 Sep 2013 10:47:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/28/brian-williams-iran-propagandaEbrahim Noroozi/APIran's new president Hassan Rouhani has said he wants direct negotiations with the United States. Photograph: Ebrahim Noroozi/APEbrahim Noroozi/APIran's new president Hassan Rouhani has said he wants direct negotiations with the United States. Photograph: Ebrahim Noroozi/APGlenn Greenwald2013-09-28T10:47:00ZSen. Ron Wyden: NSA 'repeatedly deceived the American people' | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/27/ron-wyden-nsa-systematically-deceived
About the Snowden disclosures, the Oregon Democrat told the NSA chief: 'the truth always manages to come out'<p><strong>(updated below - Update II [Sat.])</strong></p><p>The Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/26/nsa-surveillance-senate-committee?CMP=twt_gu">held a hearing</a>, ostensibly to investigate various issues raised about the NSA's activities. What the hearing primarily achieved instead was to underscore what a farce the notion of Congressional oversight over the NSA is. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/27/ron-wyden-nsa-systematically-deceived">Continue reading...</a>NSARon WydenFri, 27 Sep 2013 11:14:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/27/ron-wyden-nsa-systematically-deceivedSaul Loeb/AFP/Getty ImagesJames Clapper decried the release of the information and said media reports about it have been inaccurate Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty ImagesGlenn Greenwald2013-09-27T11:14:00ZUK detention of Reprieve activist consistent with NSA's view of drone opponents as 'threats' and 'adversaries' | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/25/nsa-uk-drone-opponents-threats
A top secret NSA document provides context for yesterday's abusive detention of Baraa Shiban<br /><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/sep/25/nsa-documents-top-secret-excerpts">Read the excerpts of the drone document here</a><p><em></em></p><p>A well-known and highly respected Yemeni anti-drone activist <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/sep/24/border-force-intimidate-human-rights-workers?CMP=twt_gu">was detained yesterday by UK officials</a> under that country's &quot;anti-terrorism&quot; law at Gatwick Airport, where he had traveled to speak at an event. Baraa Shiban, the project co-ordinator for the London-based legal charity Reprieve, was held for an hour and a half and repeatedly questioned about his anti-drone work and political views regarding human rights abuses in Yemen. </p><p>Attacks against American and European persons who have become violent extremists are often criticized by propagandists, arguing that lethal action against these individuals deprives them of due process.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/25/nsa-uk-drone-opponents-threats">Continue reading...</a>NSADrones (military)David MirandaWed, 25 Sep 2013 17:17:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/25/nsa-uk-drone-opponents-threatsUS Air Force/AlamyAn American MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft, able to carry precision-guided bombs and air-to-ground missiles. Photograph: US Air Force/AlamyGlenn Greenwald2013-09-25T17:17:41ZVarious items: NSA stories around the world | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/23/various-items-nsa-india-belgium
Revelations continue to produce outcomes on multiple levels in numerous countries around the world<p><strong>(updated below - Update II [Tues.])</strong></p><p>I'm still working at trying to get the next set of NSA stories published. That, combined with a rapidly approaching book deadline, will make non-NSA-article postings difficult for the next couple of weeks. Until then, here are a few items to note regarding a point I have often tried to make: namely, one of the most overlooked aspects of the NSA reporting in the US has been just how global of a story this has become:</p><p>&quot;The disclosures are yet another illustration of the extremely aggressive scope of the clandestine spy operations that have been conducted by both the United Kingdom and the United States. Infiltration of computer networks is usually more commonly associated with Russian and Chinese government hackers, but the British and Americans are at it, too, even targeting their own allies' communications. The surveillance tactics appear to have few limits, and while government officials have played up the necessity of the spying for counter-terrorism, it is evident that the snooping is often highly political in nature.&quot;</p><p>&quot;For years, the government has shielded its surveillance practices from judicial review through excessive secrecy. And now that that secrecy has been lifted to some degree, we now know precisely who is being surveilled in some of the dragnet policies of the NSA, and those people can now challenge those policies. . . . . No matter what you think of the lawfulness of these programs, I think everyone should think their legitimacy or illegitimacy is better debated in public and decided by a court.&quot;</p><p><br />&quot;Four of the five review panel members previously worked for Democratic administrations: Peter Swire, former Office of Management and Budget privacy director under President Bill Clinton; Michael Morell, Obama's former deputy CIA director; Richard Clarke, former counterterrorism coordinator under Clinton and later for President George W. Bush; and Cass Sunstein, Obama's former regulatory czar. A fifth panel member, Geoffrey Stone of the University of Chicago, leads a university committee looking to build Obama's presidential library in Chicago and was an informal adviser to Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.</p><p>&quot;Stone wrote in a July op-ed that the NSA surveillance program that collects the phone records of every American every day is constitutional.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/23/various-items-nsa-india-belgium">Continue reading...</a>NSAMon, 23 Sep 2013 13:32:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/23/various-items-nsa-india-belgiumGlenn Greenwald2013-09-23T13:32:00ZThe war on whistleblowers and journalism | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/19/war-on-whistlelblowers-and-journalists
Discussing press freedoms with Julian Assange, David Coombs, Alexa O'Brien and others<p>I'm working on several stories, so posting this week will be difficult. Until then, below is the video of the 90-minute event I did this week at the Sydney Opera House on the war on whistleblowers and journalism, along with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning's lawyer David Coombs, the intrepid independent journalist Alexa O'Brien, and the Australian commentator Robert Manne, hosted by the Australian writer Bernard Keane. It was a great discussion and really covered in a broad way many of the issues discussed here over the last year, especially the last several months (I dropped out for roughly 25 minutes after I first spoke due to some technical difficulties with the video feed but returned to participate actively in the rest of the discussion). </p><p>Two related notes: 1) John Cusack has <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/18/eric-holder-guarantee-nsa-reporters-rights">an excellent Op-Ed in the Guardian</a> from yesterday on many of these same topics; 2) Mark Weisbrot has <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/18/us-hint-nsa-dilma-rousseff-snub">a helpful analysis of the fallout</a> from the extraordinary cancellation by Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff of the state dinner planned at the White House for October due to NSA surveillance, and <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/09/17/202443/brazil-to-obama-were-not-coming.html#.UjrVjsaPMnI">McClatchy has good background</a> on what happened there and why.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/19/war-on-whistlelblowers-and-journalists">Continue reading...</a>Press freedomNSAThu, 19 Sep 2013 10:49:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/19/war-on-whistlelblowers-and-journalistsGlenn Greenwald2013-09-19T10:49:00ZInside the mind of NSA chief Gen Keith Alexander | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/15/nsa-mind-keith-alexander-star-trek
A lavish Star Trek room he had built as part of his 'Information Dominance Center' is endlessly revealing<p><strong>(updated below; Update II [w/correction])</strong></p><p>It has <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/15/crux-nsa-collect-it-all">been previously reported</a> that the mentality of NSA chief Gen. Keith Alexander is captured by his motto &quot;Collect it All&quot;. It's a get-everything approach he pioneered first when aimed at an enemy population in the middle of a war zone in Iraq, one he has now imported onto US soil, aimed at the domestic population and everyone else.</p><p>&quot;When he was running the Army's Intelligence and Security Command, Alexander brought many of his future allies down to Fort Belvoir for a tour of his base of operations, a facility known as the Information Dominance Center. It had been designed by a Hollywood set designer to mimic the bridge of the starship Enterprise from Star Trek, complete with chrome panels, computer stations, a huge TV monitor on the forward wall, and doors that made a 'whoosh' sound when they slid open and closed. Lawmakers and other important officials took turns sitting in a leather 'captain's chair' in the center of the room and watched as Alexander, a lover of science-fiction movies, showed off his data tools on the big screen.</p><p>&quot;'Everybody wanted to sit in the chair at least once to pretend he was Jean-Luc Picard,' says a retired officer in charge of VIP visits.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The nifty workspace seemed to make an impression on the members of congress and other important visitors who dropped by to check it out. 'Everybody wanted to sit in the chair at least once to pretend he was Jean-Luc Picard,' a retired officer in charge of VIP visits told Foreign Policy.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/15/nsa-mind-keith-alexander-star-trek">Continue reading...</a>NSAKeith AlexanderSun, 15 Sep 2013 12:14:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/15/nsa-mind-keith-alexander-star-trekGlenn Greenwald2013-09-15T12:14:00ZNSA shares raw intelligence including Americans' data with Israelhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/11/nsa-americans-personal-data-israel-documents
• Secret deal places no legal limits on use of data by Israelis<br />• Only official US government communications protected<br />• Agency insists it complies with rules governing privacy<br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/sep/11/nsa-israel-intelligence-memorandum-understanding-document">Read the NSA and Israel's 'memorandum of understanding'</a><p>The National Security Agency routinely shares raw intelligence data with Israel without first sifting it to remove information about US citizens, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/sep/11/nsa-israel-intelligence-memorandum-understanding-document">a top-secret document provided to the Guardian</a> by whistleblower Edward Snowden reveals.</p><p>Details of the intelligence-sharing agreement are laid out in a memorandum of understanding between the NSA and its Israeli counterpart that shows the US government handed over intercepted communications likely to contain phone calls and emails of American citizens. The agreement places no legally binding limits on the use of the data by the Israelis.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/11/nsa-americans-personal-data-israel-documents">Continue reading...</a>The NSA filesNSASurveillanceIsraelMiddle East and North AfricaWorld newsUS foreign policyUS national securityPrivacyData protectionUS politicsUS newsObama administrationWed, 11 Sep 2013 14:40:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/11/nsa-americans-personal-data-israel-documentsJames Emery/FlickrThe agreement for the US to provide raw intelligence data to Israel was reached in principle in March 2009, the document shows. Photograph: James EmeryJames Emery/FlickrIsraeli and American flags Photograph: James Emery/FlickrGlenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Ewen MacAskill2013-09-11T14:40:00ZNSA encryption story, Latin American fallout and US/UK attacks on press freedoms | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/07/nsa-encryption-us-uk-press-freedoms
The implications of the prior week's reporting of NSA stories continue to grow<p><strong>(updated below - Update II [Sun.])</strong></p><p>I'm currently working on what I believe are several significant new NSA stories, to be published imminently here, as well as one very consequential story about NSA spying in Brazil that will first be broadcast Sunday night on the Brazilian television program Fantastico (because the report has worldwide implications, far beyond Brazil, it will be translated into English and then quickly published on the internet). Until then, I'm posting below the video of the 30-minute interview I did yesterday on Democracy Now with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez about our NSA encryption story and ongoing US/UK attacks on press freedom (the transcript of that interview is <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2013/9/6/the_end_of_internet_privacy_glenn">here</a>).</p><p>&quot;US intelligence services are making routine use around the world of government-built malware that differs little in function from the 'advanced persistent threats' that US officials attribute to China. The principal difference, US officials told The Post, is that China steals US corporate secrets for financial gain.</p><p>&quot;'The Department of Defense does engage' in computer network exploitation, according to an e-mailed statement from an NSA spokesman, whose agency is part of the Defense Department. 'The department does ***not*** engage in economic espionage in any domain, including cyber.'&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/07/nsa-encryption-us-uk-press-freedoms">Continue reading...</a>NSASat, 07 Sep 2013 13:04:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/07/nsa-encryption-us-uk-press-freedomsGlenn Greenwald2013-09-07T13:04:00ZRevealed: how US and UK spy agencies defeat internet privacy and securityhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/05/nsa-gchq-encryption-codes-security
• NSA and GCHQ unlock encryption used to protect emails, banking and medical records<br />• $250m-a-year US program works covertly with tech companies to insert weaknesses into products<br />• Security experts say programs 'undermine the fabric of the internet'<br /><br />• <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/06/nsa-surveillance-revelations-encryption-expert-chat">Q&amp;A: submit your questions for our privacy experts</a><p>US and British intelligence agencies have successfully cracked much of the online encryption relied upon by hundreds of millions of people to protect the privacy of their personal data, online transactions and emails, according to top-secret documents revealed by former contractor Edward Snowden.</p><p>The files show that the National Security Agency and its UK counterpart GCHQ have broadly compromised the guarantees that internet companies have given consumers to reassure them that their communications, online banking and medical records would be indecipherable to criminals or governments.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/05/nsa-gchq-encryption-codes-security">Continue reading...</a>The NSA filesNSAGCHQSurveillanceUS newsWorld newsUS national securityPrivacyTechnologyInternetData protectionData and computer securityUK newsFri, 06 Sep 2013 10:24:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/05/nsa-gchq-encryption-codes-securityKacper Pempel/REUTERSThrough covert partnerships with tech companies, the spy agencies have inserted secret vulnerabilities into encryption software. Photograph: Kacper Pempel/ReutersKacper Pempel/REUTERS'When someone leaves a comment on an article, their personal data is being processed if the person is identifiable to the audience or to the organisation.' Photograph: Kacper Pempel/REUTERSJames Ball, Julian Borger and Glenn Greenwald2013-09-06T10:24:00ZObama, Congress and Syria | Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/01/obama-congress-syria-authorization
The president is celebrated for seeking a vote on his latest war even as his aides make clear it has no binding effect<p><strong>(updated below)</strong></p><p>It's a potent sign of how low the American political bar is set that gratitude is expressed because a US president says he will ask Congress to vote before he starts bombing another country that is not attacking or threatening the US. That the US will not become involved in foreign wars of choice without the consent of the American people through their representatives Congress is <a href="http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com.br/2006/11/following-through-on-warmongering.html">a central mandate of the US Constitution</a>, not some enlightened, progressive innovation of the 21st century. George Bush, of course, sought Congressional approval for the war in Iraq (though he did so only once it was clear that Congress would grant it: I vividly remember watching then-Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Joe Biden practically begging the Bush White House to &quot;allow&quot; Congress to vote on the attack while promising in advance that they would approve for it). </p><p>To make matters more complicated, Obama's aides made clear that the President's search for affirmation from Congress would not be binding. He might still attack Syria even if Congress issues a rejection.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/01/obama-congress-syria-authorization">Continue reading...</a>SyriaSun, 01 Sep 2013 11:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/01/obama-congress-syria-authorizationKristoffer Tripplaar/Pool/ Kristoffer Tripplaar/Pool/ /CorbisPresident Barack Obama, joined by Vice President Joe Biden, delivers a statement on Syria in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C. on 31 August 31, 2013. Photograph: Kristoffer Tripplaar/Pool//CorbisKristoffer Tripplaar/Pool/ Kristoffer Tripplaar/Pool/ /CorbisPresident Barack Obama, joined by Vice President Joe Biden, delivers a statement on Syria in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C. on 31 August 31, 2013. Photograph: Kristoffer Tripplaar/Pool//CorbisGlenn Greenwald2013-09-01T11:01:00Z